During normal operation, the voltage applied to a semiconductor device is constrained by the breakdown voltage of the device, which is the minimum applied voltage that causes avalanche breakdown in the device. For example, the rated drain-to-source voltage of a transistor device is typically set to a value that is well below the drain-to-source voltage that causes avalanche breakdown in the device to provide sufficient margin that accommodates a relatively large safe operation region, manufacturing variations or transient voltage fluctuations.